Category: Carpet Cleaning Service

There are many companies that claim to be professional that charge much less. I have seen companies charge as little as 10 cents a square foot. While this seems like a great deal for the consumer, there really is no way that it can be. These companies are cutting corners somewhere, and some of them have no idea what they are doing.There is more to cleaning carpet than just spraying some chemicals and rinsing it with water. There is a lot of chemistry involved in it. A pre-spray with a pH of over 10 will void a warranty on a 5th generation synthetic carpet (synthetics make up most of the residential carpets). At Super Steamer we use a pre-spray that has a pH of between 9.5 and 10. It also has a citrus-based solvent to help break down oils. I worked for a company that used a 12 pH on both residential and commercial carpet. So if calling around always ask what the pH of their pre-spray is. If it is over 10 pH or they don’t know I recommend calling someone else.

Once a pre-spray is applied you can’t simply rinse it with water and call it complete. If the carpet is left in an alkaline state it will attract dirt and re-soil quickly (alkaline chemicals attract dirt). At Super Steamer we use a fiber rinse that has polymer technology. This rinses the alkaline from the fibers to leave it at a neutral pH. The polymers coat the fibers to prevent re-soiling and problems with stains wicking back to the surface. Again while working for another company pre Super Steamer I witnessed the use of laundry detergent as a rinse agent. Make sure the cleaner you hire has the right tools for the job.

At Super Steamer we believe in giving an above average cleaning experience, for an average price.

Carpet Cleaning at Super Steamer

Technicians trained to the IICRC standard, wearing a shirt and tie

Corner guards to protect your paint and trim

Vacuuming with a HEPA vacuum

Pre-spray application (9.5 to 10 pH)

Carpet grooming to bring soils to the surface and spread chemicals evenly

Professional Carpet Cleaning

Arriving at your Home — When a professional carpet cleaning company arrives at your home their van should be clean and well maintained. They should first be very aware of children and/or pets playing outside. They should never pull the vehicle on your lawn without written permission from the property owner. They should be cautious of your flowers and shrubs. After you answer the door they should introduce themselves by giving their full name and a handshake. They should seem happy to be in your home and courteous to your children and pets. They should advise the customers to keep children away form the carpet cleaning equipment and areas where work is being performed. They should take the necessary precautions when cleaning to prevent someone from slipping and falling. And should advise you to keep your pets locked up for safety to ensure they don’t get hurt or lost.

A high end carpet cleaning company should advise customers to stay off the carpet until dry. If they must go on it during the drying process they should communicate to the customer to be very careful while going from the damp carpet to hard surface floors. The last thing they want to happen is to have you slip, fall and possibly get hurt.

To help ensure the best professional and pleasant carpet cleaning experience, please note the following.

Protecting Your Furniture & Valuables — Technicians should be very careful and pride themselves in treating your possessions with the utmost respect. However, as a precaution, please put away all breakable and delicate items such as jewelry, china pieces, vases, picture frames, knick-knacks, etc.

Pre-inspection — Before cleaning a technician should walk you through the house and have you point out areas of concern. Check stains with microscope and test with detergents before advice is given on the possibility of removal. This is also a good time for them to check the pH of the carpet with an Xtech pH pen. After inspecting the carpet the technician should sit down with you and explain the condition of the carpet and have you sign and initial a Pre-Inspection form.

Completion of Job — After completion of the carpet cleaning process, technician should walk though the customer’s home again and re-clean anything he or she is not happy with. They should indicate any problems that were not correctable, such as stains or worn areas. The technician should then present the customer with a “customer education pamphlet” describing why their carpet is damaged. They should then present you with the detailed invoice, thank you and leave referral certificates and a free bottle of spotter. Lastly they should leave After-Care Instructions and thank you for the business.

Bait and Switch Carpet Cleaning

WARNING! So called professional carpet cleaners that advertise ridiculously low prices $5.95, $10.95 and even $25.95 per room seem too good to be true? Well guess what that is because they are! The game is called “Bait and Switch” carpet cleaning advertising. The low price gets the high pressure salesman in the door, be careful because the consumer is often outmatched and taken advantage of. These are not professional and honest business people.

It is extremely important for consumers to research the carpet cleaning company they are considering hiring. Make sure to get references. Check with places like the Better Business Bureau, and the local Chamber of Commerce. You could also check out sites like yelp, and or ask for references on Facebook. The company you choose should be IICRC Certified, who trains their employees to the strict standards of the IICRC. Feel free to refer to the Certified Technicians website at www.IICRC.org.

When you call Super Steamer we will avoid the bait and switch carpet cleaning tactics. We will come to your house and give you an in home estimate so we can give you a price before we arrive to do the job. We will let you know what we expect from you when we show up to clean your house, and we will let you know what to expect from us during the cleaning procedure. That way everyone is on the same page and there are no pricing surprises when we complete or work. Because at Super Steamer we believe in hard honest work at a fair price!

Wool comes from the fleece of sheep and lambs or occasionally goats or some other animals. This is one of the oldest fibers used by man, dating back over four thousand years. Rugs have been unearthed that have been dated back to around 2000 BC. It is still one of the finest face yarns available for carpet. Wool is chemically made up of organic elements including sulfur, which accounts for the wool smell when it is damp.

Wool fiber is composed of three distinct sections:
1. Epidermis or cuticle, which is the tough outer skin of serrated scales which overlap each other.
2. Cortex or the spindle-shaped fibrous bulk of the fiber.
3. Medulla or core of the fiber through which the fiber once received nourishment.

PROS

Hides Soil – Wool has excellent soil hiding capabilities. Wool will not exhibit or show soil as much as other fibers. The reason for this is that wool is an opaque fiber (as opposed to synthetics which are translucent). In addition wool doesn’t refract and reflect light like synthetics. The naturally dull appearance and scaly nature of the epidermis hides soil.

Resilient – Wool is very strong, elastic and resilient. Wool face yarn in a well-constructed carpet will stand up to the heaviest traffic and will look beautiful. (Notice the carpet in most casinos and finer hotel lobbies and hallways).

Natural Crimp – Natural crimp makes wool and excellent insulator and adds to its superior resiliency. This gives the fiber its bulk.

Good Absorbency – This means that wool reacts well to a number of dye types and techniques. Keep in mind, this means easy staining, and slower drying, also.

Soil Release – Wool responds very well to cleaning as moisture makes the fiber swell and release particle soil.

Flame Retardant – Wool is naturally flame retardant. In many areas fire codes require the use of wool carpet in the entry and exit areas of certain public buildings.

CONS

Expensive – This arises mainly from the processing cost, the cleaning, and the preparation, etc., rather than the actual cost of the raw material.

Fiber Distortion – Wool is very prone to distortion by excess agitations such as jet streaks and wand marks. This is particularly pronounced under heated conditions. To help prevent this kind of distortion the cleaner should turn the temperature down somewhat on wool cut pile carpet and be sure that the grooming takes place almost immediately after the cleaning process.

Stains Easily – Due to its absorbency and ease of dyeing, wool is also easily stained by wine, Kool-aid and other acid dyestuffs. Remember that absorbency is the same quality that makes wool so desirable as far as dye acceptance and obtaining the beautiful rich colors that you often find in wool carpets and oriental rugs.

Chemical Sensitivity – Wool is sensitive to excessive alkaline chemicals with prolonged exposure. This exposure will tend to make wool brittle and somewhat discolored. Some of the epidermis may be lost. This shortens the useful life of the carpet. This problem is sometimes referred to as “felting” Excessive agitation can aggravate felting. Wools of New Zealand (WONZ) suggest using cleaning agents with a pH between 4.5 and 8.5. More importantly, following cleaning, wool fibers should be left at a pH between 4.5 and 7.0.

Wool is very sensitive to chlorine bleach, such as Clorox. Chlorine bleach will completely dissolve wool within a matter of minutes.

Fuzzing – Remember that fuzzing can be a source of problems because wool only comes as a staple yarn and excess agitation can cause that fuzzing effect. This will be discussed more fully in another section of the manual.

At Super Systems we clean wool with chemicals that are on the pH scale between 4.5 and 8.5, and we leave the carpet at slightly acidic to neutral when we are finished. We use low pressure (150-200 psi), low heat (below 160 degrees F), and air movers for rapid dry times. Because wool has the tendency to bleed we use an Acid dye stabilizer to ensure that the dyes won’t run together. We are trained to maintain your wool carpet properly.

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Posted in Carpet Cleaning Service | Comments Off on Wool Carpet Characteristics and Why Super Steamer Should be the One Who Cleans it

Many people call all the local carpet cleaners they can find looking for the best price. After giving the potential clients my prices over the phone I am often greeted with the phrase “you are expensive”. Quite frankly I find this very offensive. After all you are price shopping in a non-government regulated industry, so I am expensive compared to whom? The other cleaner you just called that uses laundry detergent on everything no matter what kind of fiber he is working with? I am expensive compared to that other company that isn’t insured? I am expensive compared to that other company that really doesn’t know very much about his employees backgrounds? Is that the kind of company you want in your house with your spouse, children, and pets? I didn’t think so! So I have compiled a list of three questions to ask on the phone to find an educated textile maintenance professional.

The first thing to ask any company on the phone is “Do you offer pre-vacuuming service, with an actual upright high efficiency vacuum?” On average 79% of soil is insoluble meaning it cannot be dissolved with wet or dry solvents and needs to be removed by vacuuming. Dirt is easier to remove from carpet than mud is!

The second question to ask on the phone is “what is the pH of your pre-spray?” If they can’t answer this simple question they should not be able to touch your textiles. When dealing with 5th generation residential nylon carpet a pH over 10 will void most warranties and most carpets should be left in a neutral to slightly acidic state. So having a proper pre-spray and rinse technique is important to maintain the integrity of your carpets.

The third question to ask to validate the expertise or lack of expertise of the company you called is to ask them about their pre-inspection process. An educated high end company should do a pre cleaning walkthrough of the areas to be cleaned. They should list the square footage of each area, list the fiber type, carpet style, construction, backing, padding type, pre-existing conditions, general appearance, odors, stains, pH, and any limitations they could come across due to the state of your carpet pre-cleaning. This will ensure that there are no surprises during the cleaning process and everyone will be happy with the outcome of the service.

So Super Systems might be more expensive than much of the “competition” but we are also more knowledgeable, and more valuable to the longevity, and integrity of your textiles!